The Urbana weather station on the campus of the University of Illinois, now called the Morrow Plots Weather Station, has an interesting history. The station is one of the oldest University installations still in operation, and it is unique in comparison with other weather stations in Illinois.This chronicle of the campus weather station concerns not only the types of weather data that have been collected, but also the persons who operated the station and the instruments used to collect the data. The factors, which tie these facets of the past together, are the reasons for the stations existence.
An estimated 23.3 million gallons of water is pumped from the aquifers of Champaign County each day to satisfy industrial, municipal, domestic, and rural needs. A much larger quantity of water, perhaps as much as 90 million gallons a day (mgd), could probably be withdrawn without overdevelopment. Maps and tables indicating the probable maximum depths of wells, water levels, chemical quality, and general groundwater conditions for each water-bearing unit at specific locations are presented to serve as a guide in the development and utilization of the groundwater resources of Champaign County.
In this report, the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) and the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) have responded to the mandate of the Illinois Groundwater Protection Act that the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources (IDENR) evaluate the impact of pesticides upon groundwater. This preliminary evaluation summarizes data on the extent of groundwater contamination by pesticides, identifies agricultural practices that may contribute to groundwater contamination, and presents recommendations to minimize contamination.